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CH57 | VOC
🕑 Added 2025-02-18 11:44:42 +0000 UTCAll land in China belonged to the state.
But that didn't mean there were no real estate transactions.
Although the state held the ownership, land was frequently traded under "leasehold rights."
Leasehold rights granted the right to use the land for 100 years, and since the rights could be renewed after 100 years, it was practically equivalent to ownership.
Foreigners needed a business license to purchase land in China, so I paid a premium to obtain one and bought a 33,000 square meter site for 1.5 billion won to build a factory.
But there was still a lot to do, such as constructing the factory building and hiring employees, so Maru stayed in Shenzhen to take care of it.
He complained about the hot and humid weather, but I promised to switch with him as soon as I finished the work I had to do in Korea and returned home.
"Director Park, how have things been?"
"Everything's been fine. How did your trip go?"
I nodded and said,
"I found a sales channel and decided on the direction of our new business."
I explained what had happened in China, and Park Jong-bum was also excited.
"A secondhand electronic components distributor. Like the secondhand goods business, right?"
"That's right. And the profits will be on a whole different level."
Park Jong-bum smiled at my confidence.
"So we just need to punch out the IC chips along with the boards and collect them. The restoration process will be done in China."
"Exactly. And raise the price of the boards. Let's crush the other electronic scrap companies. Set the price at 100% of the gold extraction value. Make it impossible for them to compete."
Park Jong-bum smiled slyly.
"Hehehe, I'll crush them with the price. Leave it to me."
"Please take care of that, and we also need to hire new employees."
"New employees?"
"Yes, recruit people with language skills: English, French, Japanese, Chinese, and so on. We'll pair them with experienced salespeople from our branches and establish overseas branches. It's time for us to go global."
As soon as the recruitment ad was posted, we were flooded with applications.
With the economic downturn and the rising unemployment rate, many college graduates who had been rejected by other companies applied. Among them were many highly educated individuals who wouldn't normally consider a company like ours.
Even though it was an overseas assignment, the high number of applicants showed how competitive the job market in Korea had become.
Since overseas assignments meant being out of the company's direct supervision, character assessment was crucial. So I decided to personally interview all the candidates who passed the document screening.
We were planning to send three people to each of the ten countries in the first phase, so we had 30 candidates.
"Starting from the left, please introduce yourself in Japanese."
One of the three English-speaking candidates started speaking in Japanese with a nervous expression.
I didn't know any Japanese besides "arigato" (thank you), which I had learned during my business trip last year, so we had hired a professional interpreter.
The interpreter would evaluate their actual Japanese proficiency through free conversation after their self-introductions.
After the Japanese test, I asked the candidates one common question.
"I don't think it's meaningful to ask you various questions. You're here to earn money, right? How much do you want to earn? Be honest."
"Excuse me? Are you asking about the salary?"
"Everything included."
My direct question flustered them, and they answered hesitantly.
"Uh… 12 million won per year?"
"I'm more interested in the company's future and vision!"
"Well, the more money, the better…"
The last man covered his mouth in embarrassment at his involuntary outburst. I nodded, ended the interview, and sent them out.
"How was their Japanese proficiency?"
The interpreter looked at the evaluation sheet and said,
"The first one scored 80, the second 90, and the last 70."
"What's the scoring criteria?"
"80 or higher means they're fluent. The last candidate's Japanese is a bit weak."
I nodded.
"Then let's go with the last one."
Park Jong-bum was surprised.
"What? He had the lowest Japanese score."
"He seemed greedy for money."
Park Jong-bum looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Don't you usually prefer someone who's not greedy for money? The amount of money they'll be handling will be enormous. Greed could be a problem."
Even in Korea, which wasn't a developed country yet, the electronic scrap market was worth tens of billions of won.
Considering that there were other companies besides Chunha Trading, the market size was at least 100 billion won.
That meant the electronic scrap market in wealthier, developed countries would be enormous.
I glanced at the interpreter to signal to Park Jong-bum that I couldn't explain it now, and he reluctantly nodded.
The interviews continued, and the interpreters were switched accordingly.
The seventh group of candidates, three German speakers, entered, and the test began.
One of the male candidates kept staring at me with narrowed eyes throughout the interview.
I felt uncomfortable, checked his name on the application form, and said,
"Mr. Lee In-yong, why do you keep staring at me?"
Lee In-yong was startled.
"I'm sorry! You look familiar… I'll be more careful."
"This is an interview. Please pay attention."
The interview continued smoothly, and we finalized the list of successful candidates.
"All the successful candidates seem to be greedy for money. Why did you choose them? Wouldn't it be better to choose someone who's diligent and honest?"
Park Jong-bum asked after the interviews were over.
"It's a race against time."
"A race against time?"
"How long do you think we can maintain our advantage in the IC chip restoration business? I don't think it'll last more than a few months."
"Surely not that fast."
I said firmly,
"No, a few months is a generous estimate. Someone might have already figured it out by now. The first condition for success in the secondhand electronic components distribution business is to establish a dominant position in the IC chip restoration business. Do you think people will come to us if we don't even have the goods to sell? You need inventory to attract customers."
"That's… true."
"Then we need to penetrate the overseas market quickly, and greedy people are perfect for that. We have an incentive system, so we need people who are motivated by money and willing to work hard for every penny. High prices, greedy employees, incentives… all these combined will create synergy. That's how we quickly conquered the Korean market in the secondhand goods business. It's the same principle."
Park Jong-bum nodded in agreement.
"I see. I understand. But I'm worried about employees pocketing money."
I chuckled at his concern.
"It doesn't matter if they steal a little. The amount they can steal is negligible compared to what we'll be earning. Think of it as the cost of securing our market share quickly. Anyway, those successful candidates are lucky. They'll probably earn billions in incentives."
Our plan for managing the overseas branches was to appoint experienced salespeople from our existing branches as branch managers, with a 1% incentive on total purchases.
The new recruits would be in charge of local sales, with a 10% incentive.
With our overwhelming price advantage, they would be bringing in a lot of goods, and the new recruits, motivated by the money, would work tirelessly.
I could already picture them running around, sacrificing sleep, to secure clients before any competitors emerged.
"I'm envious. They're lucky to be in the right place at the right time. They can earn 100 million won just by bringing in 1 billion won worth of goods. Can't you send me too? I'm confident I can do a good job."
Park Jong-bum's playful envy seemed to contain a hint of sincerity.
Although he owned 1.5% of Chunha Trading's shares, he hadn't received any dividends, so he hadn't actually seen any of that money.
He was a high earner, with a monthly salary of 10 million won, but he wasn't an executive, and it must have stung to hear that new recruits could potentially earn billions.
'I've been neglecting him.'
He was one of the two people I trusted and relied on, but I hadn't given him anything besides shares and salary.
"Don't be too envious. Once this business is on track, we'll distribute dividends."
"Dividends?"
"Actual dividends are complicated due to tax issues, so we'll do it under the table. You know, like the money from Hanbo and Sammi. We'll distribute billions in dividends based on your shares."
Park Jong-bum smiled brightly.
"Sir, I'll devote myself to the company! Use me as you please!"
"I intend to."
As we were leaving the office, I saw Lee In-yong, the man who had been staring at me during the interview, standing at the door.
"The interview is over. What are you doing here? We'll notify you individually about the results. You can leave."
But Lee In-yong hesitated and didn't move.
"Um…"
"Do you have something to say?"
"Can I ask your name? Ah, no, it's just… you look so much like someone I know."
I looked at him closely, puzzled, but I couldn't place him.
"It's Park Sol."
Lee In-yong's face lit up, and he said in a friendly voice,
"Park Sol! That's right, Park Sol! Park Sol from Hwayang Elementary School!"
I was flustered.
Hwayang Elementary School was definitely the school I had attended.
"You know me? I did go to Hwayang Elementary School."
"It's me, Lee In-yong! Don't you remember? We used to play soccer together all the time!"
His words triggered a distant memory.
"Lee In-yong? Lee In-yong? Ah! That Lee In-yong! That's right, I remember now. Wow, it's been a long time."
I remembered Lee In-yong, who lived near me and was a close friend in elementary school. I hugged him excitedly.
"Wow, what a coincidence. In-yong, it's been so long."
"I know, it's been over ten years."
We were inseparable in elementary school, but we lost touch after he moved, and eventually, we lost contact completely.
He was a good friend who shared his food with me when my family was struggling.
He was also a good listener, always there to sympathize with my complaints about my brother.
I was delighted and surprised to meet my childhood friend again after all these years.
"Do you work here? You must be high-ranking if you're conducting interviews. I'm envious. I heard this company's sales are over 100 billion won. And you're hiring new recruits in this economic climate? It must be a stable company. That's great."
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should tell him that I was the CEO. But it wasn't a crime, and everyone already knew, so I just said,
"Well, I'm the CEO of this company."
Lee In-yong looked at me as if he had misheard me. Some employees passing by greeted me.
"Good morning, sir."
"Ah, yes."
Lee In-yong said with a flustered expression,
"You're the CEO? You're the CEO, Sol?"
"Why are you suddenly speaking formally? Just talk like you always do."
"Uh, okay."
He said, wiping sweat from his brow,
"Wait, did your father start a business? No, he didn't…"
"It's a long story. Anyway, I'm the CEO here."
After a moment of silence, Lee In-yong said with a hopeful tone,
"Really? Wow, you've made it. Congratulations. I'm so envious."
"Haha, thanks. Anyway, I can't talk long now, but I'll give you my contact information. Let's have a drink sometime soon."
He took my business card, said goodbye, and left.
Park Jong-bum said to me,
"Um, is he a friend of yours?"
"Yes, a childhood friend."
"What should we do? He failed the interview, should we hire him?"
Lee In-yong had said he was confident he could do a good job if I gave him a chance, but I had rejected him.
I smiled wryly and said,
"No, he's not hired. Even if he had passed, I would have rejected him."
Park Jong-bum was surprised.
"But you said he's your friend? Do you have any bad memories with him…?"
"No, we were very close, and he's a good person."
"Then why…"
"A company is a professional space. The moment personal relationships interfere with professional matters, the company's atmosphere is ruined."
If the employees knew he was my friend, he would receive special treatment, even though he was a new recruit.
Although we were hiring for overseas assignments, the branches could grow significantly once the business picked up. I couldn't take that risk.
"If he asked for a loan to start his own business, I would lend him the money without hesitation. But he can't join the company."
"But isn't it a bit unfair to deny him such a good opportunity just because he's your friend?"
"Hmm."
It would have been easier if we weren't close, but I knew he was a good and kind person.
And it pained me even more because it was an opportunity for him to make a lot of money through an overseas assignment.
"Anyway, it's not possible. Don't send him a rejection letter. I'll figure something out and talk to him personally."
